Tuesday 4 December 2018

THE BIG PICTURE ***

"The Big Picture" is a tale that begins with a murder among Paris' nouveau riche and is one that wouldn't disgrace Chabrol or even Hitchcock, though perhaps it's still too early to call its director, Eric Lartigau, the new Chabrol, though his direction is superlative. At its centre is an absolutely terrific performance from Romain Duris as a man who kills his wife's smug lover and then tries to reinvent his life by taking on the dead man's identity. For a time it looks like it may be a one-man show and it's a tour-de-force. The source material is a novel by Douglas Kennedy and set, not in France but in New England while the beautifully constructed script is by the director and Laurent De Bartillant and the superb cinematography is by Laurent Dailland. All in all, a total pleasure from beginning to somewhat unlikely but nevertheless hugely satisfying end.

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